Ok does anyone remember back in high school having a class that dealt with commonsense shit that you would actually use in your lifetime? I do. They called it economics when I was in school. We had to pair up with a partner, pretend to get married and then we each had to pull a piece of paper from a hat which gave us our career and salary. We then had to learn how to budget our money together. Figure out how we were going to pay our bills and rent and still be able to eat. The teacher paired me with a boy named Charles and he was an artist, I was a teacher. Together I think we made about $1200 a month, but you know what we did it.
This lifestyle learning class also taught us all about checks, how to write them, endorse them and of course how to balance our checkbooks. Why oh why don't they teach these kinda classes anymore?
As many of you know I've gone back to school. I've written many posts about the stupidity of our youth, well here's another one. I have a college math class this semester. We just started a new chapter: How to balance your checkbook. Are you fucking kidding me? I've had a checking account for half of my lifetime now. Ok ok so maybe the younger, inexperienced, fresh-out of high school kids don't know how to do this simple feat. I'll give you that. But seriously I don't know how anybody can be this dumb: The teacher wrote a fake endorsement on the board as an example of how she'd transfer a check over to her mother. She wrote "pay to the order of my mom". It was an example. Of course one of the fresh-out-of high school morons raised her hand and asked if you'd really write my mom on the check. She wasn't kidding. She was dead serious. What the fuck are they teaching these kids?
Yes, seems like a waste of money. Maybe they should teach "how to determine if a class is a waste of money." haha Oh well, look at it as an easy A. At least it will give you more time to focus on the harder classes your taking.
ReplyDeleteI'm just glad that I caught the only the start of all the stupidity that schools teach nowadays. It's no wonder though, I guess people can't raise intelligent kids anymore.
ReplyDeleteTake a good hard look at schools today. Then look at schools 30 years ago. The freakin' bureaucracy has doubled and the folks who pay the bills (you and me) have no say about the product they produce... except by taking our kids and sending them to private and charter schools.
ReplyDeleteIt is really sad that today many parents don't have the time to participate in the process because they are so busy keeping a home.
Ah, shit! Now I'm on a soapbox and this is supposed to be fun.
First of all, brava for figuring out how to distribute only $1200 a month between the TWO of you - god, that's great!
ReplyDeleteSecond, thank god when I was in high school, mathematics INCLUDED "How to write a check and balance a checkbook."
Honestly? I think they probably still do teach this in schools, but I kids are too busy TALKING ON THEIR CELL PHONES and TEXT MESSAGING to pay attention - HA!
Isabella
ReplyDeleteI love that idea of "how to figure out if a class is a waste of time" that would have cut out about half of the ones I had to take!
Gavin,
I don't know who to blame for stupid kids, the parents, the schools, the kids themselves? Something has to be done though, it is truly frightening what these kids don't know.
Ivan
Hey I'll join you anyday on that soapbox! Something has got to change in our school system, and parents have to get involved too!
Ron,
About that $1200 a month, we were ordered to "live" in a studio apartment and it was 1996 back then too, so that helped! Of all the kids in my math class who recently graduated high school I asked them if they had taken a class similiar to the one I described and not one of them said they took something like it. That is unacceptable. They want these kids to come out go to college and become successful but they aren't giving them the necessary tools to do even the simpliest of things. I could go on and on forever but I won't, you get the drift!
uhh and how is balancing a checkbook different than simple addition and subtraction?? i mean you put in $100 and you buy something that costs $20, you have $80 left?? im with ya on this, not sure why a class needs to address the issue.
ReplyDeletemy daughter is 10 years old and is already asking for a checking account so she doesnt have to use a piggy bank anymore. i find this funny and cute for some reason. but back to the point...she's 10
thats right...10. please keep the posts coming about the absurdness you encounter in your classes. it helps me feel good about where my kids are!!
did i mention my oldest daughter was 10 ; )